Atonement
by Zab Jade
Summary: Miaka is pulled once more into The Universe of the Four Gods, this time by someone seeking revenge. Tasuki is targeted as well, and Miaka and Taka, with the help of Chichiri, must find a way to save him and get themselves back home.
1. Chapter 1

**Atonement**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:** Fushigi Yuugi and the associated characters and settings do not belong to me. The plot and any original characters that may appear, however, do.

**Author's Note:** This fic basically ignores OVA 3, though it does keep the existence of Taka and Miaka's child, Hikari. Vol. 14-18 of the manga correspond to the second OVA, and I'll be referring more to the manga version than the OVA version of events.

In The Universe of The Four Gods timeline, six years have passed since the end of the second OVA. It's been four years for Miaka and Taka. Miaka is twenty, Taka is twenty-two, Tasuki is twenty-five, and Chichiri is thirty-two.

…

Night lay over Konan, stars gleaming in the sky like precious jewels scattered over black velvet. All was peaceful, as it had been for years, so perhaps the guards who stood watch at the palace of the young emperor could be forgiven for relaxing their vigilance.

Something with dark intent moved through the shadows, coming unseen into the room where once the Priestess of Suzaku had resided. The priestess was long gone, back in her own world, but the room had been kept as it was when last she used it, a shrine of sorts.

The guards who stood watch at the door never saw the being that slipped from the shadows and silently ended their lives. The creature searched the room and laughed when it found something that would serve its needs. A sock from another world, carelessly left behind by the priestess when she had packed her things for the trip to Hokkan. What a ridiculous object to be used for revenge. But then, the priestess had been a ridiculous girl, so perhaps it was fitting.

It closed its eyes, contacting one of its minions and sending it to the outskirts of Mt. Reikaku. The mountain was a sacred place, but the demon could still wait near it and provide a distraction.

The being knew things about the Celestial Warriors of Suzaku that they didn't know about themselves. Tamahome was the soul mate of the priestess, and their souls would always draw one another. They didn't know that Tasuki was the soul twin of Tamahome. With Tamahome in her world, the priestess would be drawn to Tasuki when she was brought back.

The being nodded in satisfaction and prepared the ornate brazier it had brought with it. It set the sock in front of the brazier and began chanting.

…

In another world, she who had been the Priestess of Suzaku gazed down at perfection. She reached down to gently caress her daughter's cheek, marveling anew at the softness of the little face that already looked so much like her beloved Taka in miniature. Her fingers shifted to comb through the soft, purple tinted brown hair, a merging of Taka's blue and her own auburn.

Beautiful gray eyes framed by long, dark lashes slowly flickered open. "Nigh', Mama," the little girl murmured.

"Goodnight, Hikari," Miaka whispered, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. She tucked her daughter in and quietly left the room.

"She's asleep already?" Taka asked in surprise, coming into the hallway from the front room.

Miaka grinned. "I helped her count her money." Their daughter had inherited Taka's love of money and would collect and hoard any loose coins she happened to find. Though it had, Miaka reflected, led to Hikari's counting skills being far superior to any other normal child a month away from being two.

She moved toward Taka, then stopped and cried out, her eyes going wide as she was surrounded by a putrid green light. It wasn't the familiar red light of Suzaku, but she knew she was being taken once more into the Universe of the Four Gods. As she began to disappear, she reached up and grabbed the simple gold hoop earring in her right ear and ripped it out, tossing it on the ground outside of the light.

"Miaka!" Taka screamed. Then she was gone. "MIAKA!"

…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Yui dropped her mystery novel with a choked off scream of surprise, badly startled by the sudden pounding on her door. She hurried to the door as the banging continued, joined by Taka's voice frantically calling her name.

"Taka, what's wrong?" she demanded as she flung the door open. Taka's gray eyes were wide with obvious distress. Hikari was in his arms, the little girl quietly crying. "Where's Miaka?"

"She's back in the book world, but I don't think it was Suzaku who took her this time," he said, thrusting Hikari into the blonde woman's arms. He didn't have time to explain that the light had been the putrid green of a wound gone bad. "I have to go after her."

Yui nodded once as her arms wrapped around her best friend's daughter. "I'll watch Hikari," she said, wishing there was more she could do.

"Thank you, Yui," he breathed, hugging her close. Then he kissed Hikari on the cheek. "I have go get Mama, Kari. Yui will take care of you while I'm gone, sweetie."

It hurt to turn away from her as she cried, calling for him, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to get Miaka back, and he wouldn't expose his little girl to the dangers of The Universe of the Four Gods.

"Wait, Taka!" Yui exclaimed. She put Hikari down and ripped away part of her own sleeve, handing it to Taka. "Now there's a connection between us, so you can keep in touch with this world."

He nodded his gratitude and pulled Miaka's earring from his pocket, concentrating on it. A red glow surrounded him, and then he was gone, leaving Yui to comfort his crying daughter.

"It's okay, little one," Yui whispered, hugging Hikari tight. They'll be back. They always come back."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ending Author's Notes: Yeah, I know, really short chapter, but that's where it wanted to end, and fleshing out what I've already got seemed like it would have been needless padding. The soul twin thing is my explanation of why Miaka and Taka kept landing on Tasuki in the second OVA. It also plays a major role in this story and is explained in greater detail later on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer:** Fushigi Yuugi and the associated characters and settings do not belong to me. The plot and any original characters that may appear, however, do.

**Warning:**The first part of this chapter shows the attempted rape of minors.

**Author's Note:** Reirei is not an original character. Yuu Watase created her for the Tasuki character novel Genrou Den. The flashbacks/nightmares regarding her and her brother are from Genrou Den, and not something I made up.

…

_He was bound to a golden bed, his wrists and ankles tied and spread out as far as they could go. Keiron, a pale, pudgy man with thickly applied make-up and gold clothing, stood over him, lust shining in his eyes and a dagger in his hand._

_The young redhead didn't recognize the look of lust for what it was and was convinced that he was about to die. He glared defiantly and spat insults at the leader of the rival bandit group. He didn't want to die, the thought of it frightened him, but he wouldn't beg for his life, and he wouldn't cry out in terror. If he had to die, he'd do it as a brave man, not a crying child. His mother and sisters had always called him a whiny, sniveling brat. He would prove them wrong, in this last moment of life._

_He closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, as the older man came toward him with the dagger again. Then his eyes snapped open at the feel of a tongue sliding across his chest, lapping up the blood the bandit leader had drawn earlier._

"_Eeeeeeeee! What're ya doing ta me?" he cried out in panic, his resolve vanishing in the face of Keiron's strange behavior. "Aaaaaaaaaaah! There are people watching!"_

"_They make it exciting… heh heh."_

"_Hey, you guys, aren't ya gonna do somethin' about him?" the flame-haired boy demanded, trying to appeal to their sense of decency. Surely they wouldn't just watch. He generally thought of himself as a man, but he was only sixteen. There were a lot of disgusting people in the world, but he couldn't quite believe that anyone would just stand by and watch an adult rape a child._

But they tied ya up this way like they'd done it a buncha times, _he thought grimly._

"_You can save your life if you do as he says," one of the men advised in a subdued voice. "If ya become the leader's lover, you're guaranteed to live in luxury with three meals a day and an afternoon nap."_

"_Gaaah! I'd rather die!" the boy spat. It was the truth. Death would be quick and relatively painless. Day after day of being subjected to Keiron's lust… He shuddered at the thought, then forced himself to be still._

"_What're ya saying? Don't you hate women? I've done research." The bandit leader, looking delighted, pressed his cheek against the boy's, his hand sliding between his captive's legs and fondling him. _

_"You got it wrong. I hate men even more!" The boy's panicked yelp echoed in the gold-plated room. He hated women, mainly because of his mother and sisters, but he wasn't attracted to men. And even if he had been, this situation would still be rape._

"_What're ya doing?" a female voice demanded. Then the boy found himself pinning the owner of the voice to the golden bed, straddling her hips. The sudden change in position and situation was disorienting._

"_Reirei?" he whispered in confusion and sick horror as he recognized the girl. Why was he holding her down like this, like he was about to force himself on her?_

_Then the girl beneath him changed. She became older, a sixteen-year-old near woman rather than a fourteen-year-old child, and her hair went from black to auburn, and her eyes from brown to green. Her features and hairstyle changed as well, while still remaining similar._

_"I hate you for doing such a dirty thing," Miaka said in Reirei's voice, while silent tears, each one a painful blow to his heart, ran down her cheeks._

Genrou jerked awake with a harsh cry of denial, sitting up in bed before he had even shaken off the last vestiges of his nightmare. The nightmares had haunted him off and on for the past six years, though he had gone for nearly a year before this one. Most of them were a vile union of his own near rape of nine years ago with the near rape of Miaka six years ago.

"I betrayed 'em both," he murmured to himself. Reirei, who had saved him from her own brother, and Miaka, the girl he loved. He clenched his fists, short nails digging into his palms. Taka and Miaka had forgiven him, had held him close and cried after he had used his tessen on himself. For that, he would always love and cherish them, but deep in his heart, he still felt guilty. He still felt like he needed to atone somehow.

"Ya didn't betray anyone, Genrou," a voice, the one from his dream, said with a blend of compassion and annoyance.

He turned a bit to look at the speaker. She was fourteen, would forever be fourteen, because even with his enhanced speed, he hadn't been fast enough to save her. She had died getting the tessen to him, in effect giving her life for his.

"Reirei," he said softly. "How can ya even stand ta be near me after what I did?"

"They forgave ya, Genrou. Ya apologized to 'em over an' over, an' they forgave ya."

"No they didn't," Genrou said, looking away from her. "They made excuses for me, an' forgave me based on 'em. They didn't forgive me for givin' in ta what was already inside o' me."

"Genrou-" Reirei started to say.

"No more, Reirei," he said, cutting her off. "No more tryin' ta make me feel better. There's no point ta it. Yer just a figment o' my imagination."

Reirei had been dead for nine years. Her spirit surely would have been reincarnated by now. The Reirei that had been with him for the past six years was just a hallucination. She had to be. He tried to ignore her, and even managed to do it when he was around other people, but when he was alone, he couldn't seem to stop himself from talking to her like she was real.

He accepted his own mental instability and probable hallucinations and tried not to let them, or his feelings of guilt, interfere with his duties as the leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits. Hakurou had chosen him as his successor, and he had promised Reirei that he would stay as the leader after he fulfilled his duty as a Celestial Warrior of Suzaku.

He took a deep breath to clear his mind and got out of bed, slipping into a pair of white pants and black boots with scarlet trim. Kouji often teased him about taking as long as a girl to get dressed, but he saw nothing girly in liking to look good.

He chose a shirt of emerald green silk, then pawed through his collection of jewelry, putting on his usual pair of earrings before deciding on a necklace. After a few moments of thinking it over, he picked out a pearl necklace accented with rubies and amber. He wasn't the narcissist that Hotohori had been, but he had a good sense of fashion and enjoyed dressing well if he had the chance.

"Damn, am I hot or what?" he asked his reflection, grinning. "ACK!"

Something slammed into his side, sending him sprawling to the ground with a warm weight holding him down. The weight shifted slightly and moaned, brushing the hair from its face to stare directly into Genrou's eyes.

"Mi… Miaka…" he whispered hoarsely. It had been six years for him since he had last seen her, but he knew time moved differently between their worlds. It could have been anything from one day to ten years for her. He was guessing about four years, though. When last they had seen each other, she had still been a girl verging on womanhood, her childish cuteness giving way to adult beauty, like a bud still in the process of unfurling into a radiant blossom.

Now she was all woman, her gleaming auburn hair flowing free and framing a face that was both delicate and strong in its adult beauty. Her eyes, as green as his shirt, gazed at him with a medley of different emotions.

_She's so…_ He was overwhelmed with emotion and closed his eyes to keep from looking at her, but he could still smell her. Her scent was the distilled essence of warmth, kindness, and laughter. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, to bury his face in her soft hair.

"Tasuki," Miaka said softly. He opened his eyes and gazed up at her, noticing the blood on her ear. He wanted to lick it away, to take her wounded flesh into his mouth and suck away her pain.

_Keiron lapped at the blood on his chest, his tongue warm and wet as it caressed the boy beneath him._

Genrou violently shoved Miaka away from him, twisting onto his knees and fighting the urge to throw up. _I'm just like him. I'm just like that perverted bastard._

"Tasuki!" Miaka cried out in alarm.

He forced himself to grin as he looked at her. "Ah-hahaha… I'm fine, Miaka. You just got me in the gut with yer knee."

"I'm sorry, Tasuki," she said, sounding miserable. She knew he was lying, but she went along with it, because acknowledging what she had seen in his eyes would only hurt him.

_Oh, Tasuki,_ she thought sadly. _You still love me so much. And you still blame yourself for what happened, don't you?_ He had gazed at her with eyes so full of love that the intensity of it had been painful to see. Then it had changed to revulsion, directed inward. _I should tell him that I really do understand._

She opened her mouth, then shut it, fighting back tears. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him about her own experience that let her understand what Hikou's spell had done to him. The shame of what she had done, even after all these years, was still too great to allow her to speak of it.

Genrou winced at her subdued, apologetic tone. _Great, just great. Now I've got her feelin' bad for somethin' she didn't actually do. But what th' hell else was I s'posed ta say? 'Gee, sorry for tossin' ya aside like that an' tryin' not ta puke, but I just reminded myself o' the guy who tried to rape me when I was the same age you were when I tried to rape ya.'_

"Awww, don't be sad, Miaka," he said, feeling even more guilty as he saw that she looked about to cry. "Ya got here just in time for breakfast."

"Fooood!" she shouted happily, her stomach sending her rushing from the room before her mind even finished processing his words.

He blinked a couple of times. "Heh, an' here I thought I was the one with th' super speed. Good ta see she's pretty much still the same old Miaka, though."

He took a deep breath and got to his feet. For her sake, he would pretend to be the same old guy from eight years ago, when she had first come to their world. He didn't want to burden her with the knowledge of what a sick, pathetic bastard he was. And, more selfishly, he didn't want to see revulsion and hatred in her eyes when she looked at him.

…

The blue-haired monk had already been awake and traveling for hours when he felt Miaka's ki once again in their world. He stopped walking and concentrated. She was on Mt. Reikaku with Tasuki. She'd be safe for now, while he attended to business.

_But I need to hurry, no da,_ he thought. Dark things had been set into motion, and he had the strong feeling that something devastating would happen if he wasn't there to meet them when Tasuki and Miaka left the safety of Mt. Reikaku. _Just hang on you two, I'll be there as soon as I can._

…

Several hours later, Kouji hunted down his boss and loudly announced himself.

"Knock, knock. Who's there? It's Kouji, Genrou's best friend and soon to be temporary leader of Mt. Reikaku. Come right in and have a drink, Kouji. Thank you, I think I will."

Genrou snorted and poured a drink for Kouji as the blue-haired bandit let himself into the small room. There was only room in it for a pair of comfortable chairs with a small table between them. The bandit leader used it when he wanted to talk privately or when he just wanted some time mostly to himself.

He was currently there for the latter reason, thinking about Miaka. It was now evening, and the focus of his thoughts was fast asleep in a guest room. She had tried to stay awake, chatting with him about her life, but it had been night in her world and she had eventually succumbed to exhaustion.

"I guess I don't have ta tell ya that I'm going ta be headin' out," Genrou said, taking a drink of sake.

Kouji nodded as he sat in the chair across from him. "Yeah, I figured. If the priestess is here, that means somethin' is up, and you need to protect her."

"We need ta find Chichiri. He's good at figurin' shit out," Genrou said, uncharacteristically serious and subdued. The monk would drop in from time to time for a visit, and Genrou would occasional go on vacation from the bandits and travel with him, but it had been roughly a year and a half since they had last seen each other. He had no idea where the other Celestial Warrior was.

"What's wrong, Genrou?" Kouji asked.

"Yeah, it ain't like ya to show this side o' yerself ta anyone other than me, not even Kouji," Reirei commented. Genrou refused to even look in her direction. The only way to keep everyone from knowing about his hallucinations was to never acknowledge them around others.

He was silent for a moment, then began to speak, his voice soft. "She's almost twenty-one now. She's been married ta Tama for close to three years, and they've got a little girl a month shy o' being two."

Kouji stared into his drink. "I know a little bit of how you feel. I loved Reirei, and she just wanted to be my friend. You were the one she loved."

"I tried my best ta get th' two of you together, but you can't control how other people feel."

"I know ya did, Genrou. That's about when I figured out that you ain't as dumb and tactless as you let on. Though it took me a minute to realize that you were winkin' at me to let me know you were matchmaking. At first I thought you were comin' on to me."

Genrou choked on his sake, his eyes going huge. Kouji's laughter at his expense blended with Reirei's. _Great, even my hallucination is laughin' at me,_ he thought, shaking his head with a slight smirk as he reached behind his back for the tessen.

He generally didn't flame normal people unless they were enemies, but that didn't mean he couldn't whack Kouji over the head with it. He did just that, and then it was his laughter that filled the room.

…

Genrou sat on the bed in his room, lost in thought as he expertly rethreaded a needle. His sisters had forced him to learn many feminine skills as a child, including sewing and altering clothing.

He had already finished making changes to a set for Miaka and was now finishing up the alterations on his own clothing from eight years ago. He was twenty-five now, and both taller and broader in the shoulder than when he had last worn the outfit he was working on.

_Maybe if I'm wearin' this, we can both pretend I'm seventeen again,_ he thought glumly. He wanted Miaka to think of him as the dependable guy who had played at being her big brother during her first visit to his world, and not as the love struck moron who had tried to rape her and kill the love of her life during her second visit.

"I'm still surprised that you can sew," Reirei said, watching him in fascination as she perched on his dresser.

He grunted in reply. "What dya expect from a guy raised with five sisters? I was bound ta pick up some girly stuff."

He finished his work and set the clothing aside for the moment, trying to ignore Reirei. He had worked all through the night and it was now almost time to get on their way. He had deliberately kept himself from sleeping.

_I don't even want to think about th' nightmares I'd've been likely to have, _he thought with a slight shudder as he allowed himself to fall back across his bed. Then he snorted in disgust at his own weakness. _Real brave, Shun'u, scared o' a couple o' dreams._

He'd rarely thought of himself by his birth name since being given the name Genrou by Hakurou, but it fit his current thoughts. The name reminded him of all of the times he'd awakened in the night, terrified after dreaming that he had faded away, becoming as unnoticeable and unremarkable as his father.

Genrou let his eyes close for a moment. It was time to get past the silly nightmares and childishness of Shun'u and to put Genrou the Mt. Reikaku bandit away as well.

Tasuki, the Celestial Warrior of Suzaku, opened his eyes and got to his feet, his thoughts fully focused on his priestess. It was time to finish getting ready and find Chichiri, so they could protect their priestess and return her safely home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:** Fushigi Yuugi and the associated characters and settings do not belong to me. The plot and any original characters that may appear, however, do.

**Author's Note: **It's never flat out stated in Genrou Den that Reirei's staff can be controlled by her will, but it's implied when she makes it change size and when she throws it and has it come back to her hand.

I tried to research for fruit trees that might have grown on mountains in ancient China, and all I could really find were references to peaches, and I'm not sure if they would have grown in mountains in ancient times or not.

**Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to Lady Lark for her help defeating the dreaded writer's block.

…

The soft light of dawn had just begun to illuminate the slopes of Mt. Reikaku as Tasuki and Miaka set out. The priestess sat behind her warrior on a brown gelding, her arms wrapped his waist to keep her balance. A dark brown mare followed behind with their supplies.

Everything from Miaka's world, except for the gold hoop earring in her left ear, had been left behind. Her hair had been pulled back into an efficient braid, and she was now wearing a bluish-white blouse, black trousers, green knee-high boots, and a tan vest. It was all very practical, yet feminine, and Miaka had been surprised when she'd heard from Kouji that it had all been men's clothing before Tasuki had taken scissors and sewing supplies to it.

Tasuki himself was dressed in the same clothing he had worn when they had first met. Black boots with red ankle bands, cream trousers, a white shirt, and a long midnight blue coat with teal trim.

Miaka rested her head against the familiar coat, breathing in Tasuki's comforting scent. She was glad he had decided to wear the old familiar clothing. It let her think of him as the playful, protective older brother from her first visit, rather than the intense, lovesick young man from her second.

She didn't fear him, she knew full well that he would never have tried to force himself on her if not for Hikou's spell, but it was easier to travel with him without constantly being aware of the fact that he loved her, and there was nothing she could do for him without betraying Taka.

_Taka,_ she thought, lifting one arm to lightly touch her earring. _Where are you? Why haven't you contacted me yet?_

She let her hand fall away from her ear and snake back around Tasuki as she leaned against him. She wanted to go home – where Taka and Hikari and Yui and Keisuke were all waiting for her. Why hadn't Taka used her other earring to contact her yet?

Tasuki had been stiff and uncomfortable from the moment she had gotten on the horse behind him, and her cuddling against him hadn't helped matters any. As her hand slid back around him and she leaned into him, he decided it was time to change things.

_This is fuckin' ridiculous. I ain't even actin' like myself. All worked up over a damn dream and Miaka bein' back here,_ he thought, utterly disgusted with himself. _I'm a man, damn it, not a wounded deer. She's in love with Tama, an' that ain't gonna fuckin' change. I'm just one o' her warriors and she thinks o' me as a brother. An' that's just what I'm gonna act like, even if it kills me._

He put his right hand over her hands, offering comfort. "Don't worry, Miaka. I don't know why yer back here instead o' where ya belong, but I swear I'll getcha back ta your husband an' little girl. Ya can count on me."

"I know, Tasuki," she said softly, tightening her arms around him in a hug. "I've _always _been able to count on you."

He shuddered slightly with longing at the contact, feeling even more disgusted with himself, due to both his reaction and the memory of a time when she hadn't been able to count on him. "Not always," he murmured.

She squeezed him tighter. "Always. When I'm with you, I'm always warm and safe." _And when I close my eyes, being with you feels like I'm with Taka._

Tasuki took a deep, shuddering breath. _No more o' this emotional shit. It's big brother time._ He slowed the gelding to a stop, the mare behind them copying her brother's actions.

"Tasuki?" Miaka said in alarm, afraid her words had hurt him, as he gently pulled her arms away from him. He turned and motioned for her to get off, helping her down before dismounting as well.

"It's light enough now for a bit o' practice," he announced, pulling an ornamental hairpin from his pocket. He concentrated on it, smirking at Miaka's gasp of surprise as it suddenly lengthened into a staff a little over six-and-a-half feet long. "This belonged ta a friend o' mine named Reirei. I'm gonna teach ya how ta use it."

"Why?" Miaka asked, taking it as he held it out to her.

"I'm pretty damn tough an' can do a lo o' damage, but I'm just one guy. Even when Chichiri shows his ass, it'll just be the two o' us, an' there's no telling what we'll be up against. So ya got ta be able ta defend yourself, other than runnin' at people an' smackin' 'em with that hard head o' yours," he explained, lightly rapping his knuckles against her skull.

She glared at him, but he just flashed her a fangy grin and positioned her hands correctly on the staff. Then his expression turned serious again as he drew the tessen.

He couldn't help laughing as Miaka's eyes went wide at the sight of the metal fan. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna burn ya. I only do that ta enemies an' Tama. I wanna see whatcha can already do, so I'm gonna take a few light swings at ya an' see if ya can block 'em."

She did well against his slow strikes, but started tripping over her own feet once he sped things up. _She ain't too bad, though, for a first timer._

"So yer still clumsy, I see," he said with a grin. She glared and threw the staff at him. He promptly crouched and kicked out with his leg, using it to sweep her feet out from under her.

"AAAAH!" She fell flat on her rear, still glaring daggers at him. He stood and moved close to her before kneeling.

"Never," he said, lightly tapping the tip of her nose, "throw a staff. Well, at least not _most_ of 'em. This one ya can actually get away with it, if ya know what yer doin'."

He stood again and picked up the staff, launching it into the air in one swift motion. He heard Miaka's startled gasp as he willed it to suddenly twist to the right of where it had been thrown, knocking a ripe peach from its tree before twirling back toward Tasuki.

Before it reached him, there was a blur of movement and several phantom images of the Celestial Warrior as he ran to the tree, catching the peach before it could hit the ground. Then, in a flash, he was back where he had started, catching the staff in his upraised hand.

He shrank the staff back to its hairpin form and tossed the peach at Miaka, laughing as she leaped up and caught it in her mouth, like a dog catching a ball. Watching her practically inhale the fruit reminded him of something, and he went back to the tree, collecting several peaches.

"When we were all in Sairou, I gotcha a bunch o' peaches as an apology. Thought we could share 'em, but there was never a chance."

"An apology for what?" she asked, truly mystified as to what he might have done in Sairou that could have upset her.

He stared at his feet, looking embarrassed. "I… uh, insulted yer cookin', 'member?"

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly. She had been upset about his comments, but it had been Tamahome's reaction that had hurt and stuck with her. "I remember now. Heh. I guess it was pretty bad though, wasn't it?" she said sheepishly. Then she brightened. "Well, nothing says you can't share apology peaches with me now."

He grinned. "My thoughts exactly."

He managed to get his coat off without dropping any of the fruit, he knew better than to give food to Miaka for safekeeping, and spread it out on the ground for them to sit on. Once they were both settled, he put the peaches on the coat on his right, and handed one to Miaka, who was to his left.

"I've been taking classes, and I taste test now, so my cooking is better," she said, managing, for once, to eat slowly.

"Well, it couldn't 've gotten any worse," Tasuki said cheerfully. "Poor Tama. After ya ran out, he ate all ya made. He turned all these funny colors, an' afterwards he made a buncha noises like he was gonna die. But he deserved it, after bein' such an ass ta ya."

Miaka was torn between mortification, laughter, and the urge to hit him. She decided to give in to the latter two, laughing as she smacked him across the back of the head.

"Whatdya do that for?" he asked mournfully, looking like a kicked puppy about to cry. "An' after I went ta all the trouble ta make ya nice clothes an' look after ya." He sniffled.

"I'm so sorry," Miaka whispered, wilting in abject misery. "You've been really nice to me, and-"

"Bwahahahaha! You're still so easy to tease," he said with a grin as he ruffled her hair. "I've been punched inta walls by Nuriko. A little swat from ya ain't gonna hurt me or my feelin's."

"You jerk!" she cried, punching at him. The laughter in her voice betrayed the fact that she wasn't really angry. "Seriously, though, thank you for the clothes. They're wonderful."

"Eh, they're just travelin' stuff," he said, looking slightly embarrassed. "If we needed ta impress people, I woulda made ya somethin' really stylish. 'Specially if I coulda gotten some good material ta use an' time to plan out a design."

"You can design clothing?"

"Ya shouldn't be so surprised. I've always been the best dressed of the Suzaku Celestial Warriors. The only one who even came close ta me was Hotohori, and he mostly ran around in a dress-looking thing an' weird-ass shoes. An' he had that fuckin' box on his head that he claimed was a hat."

Tasuki smiled as she fell into gales of helpless laughter at his description of what Hotohori had usually worn. They'd have to get moving again soon, but for now, it was good to just sit with her and listen to her laugh.

…

The twilight shadows of dusk had just begun to creep over the land when the Suzaku Celestial Warrior Chichiri reached the end of the trail he had been following. He studied the fallow field with a grim sense of urgency. If he didn't find anything out from this location, there was no telling how long it would take to get information. He had the increasing certainty that he _had_ to get to Miaka and Tasuki before night fell, or his brother warrior would pay the price for his absence.

_I can't let him get hurt again…_ he thought as he removed his mask, tucking it into his kesa before closing his eye and concentrating. The highest accumulation of evil was coming from the barn. He tightened his grip on his shakujou, the metal rings of the ornamental head jingling, and strode toward the barn.

The interior was thick with a miasma of shadows that seemed to suck the heat from his body and to somehow cut him off from Suzaku. The lowing of distressed cattle could be heard as if from a great distance, overlaid by whispering echoes of overlapping laughter.

"Welcome" "Welcome" "Little monk of" "Welcome" "Little monk of Suzaku" "Suzaku" "Little monk of Suzaku." The same whispered voice, its words overlapping and echoing.

"Welcome, little monk of Suzaku," the voice drifted clearly through the darkness as a figure slowly appeared. The voice was like a pond at midnight – dark, tranquil, and full of hidden dangers. The center of the barn did not lighten so much as become somewhat less dark, allowing Chichiri a good view of the creature that had set all into motion.

It was no creature after all, but a woman. Her hair was as black as a demon's soul, her lips as red as ripe cherries, and her skin the hue of freshly fallen snow. Eyes like obsidian from the depths of hell shone from her pale visage.

"Who are you?" Chichiri asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"My identity was traded long ago for power, monk, but if you must call me something, Hiyuri will suffice. I could tell you more, if you wish to pass the time." A pale tongue flickered out, moistening full, cherry lips. "But then, isn't there somewhere you should be before nightfall? Some little plot of mine you should be thwarting?"

"Tasuki," Chichiri said quietly, only his tightened grip on his shakujou betraying his rage. "You're going to do something to Tasuki." _Why? Why is it always Tasuki who has to suffer?_

"Yessss. I want _her_ to suffer, and that flame-haired bandit means almost as much to her as Tamahome." The name was spat with distaste. "I can only delay his coming for a short time. If it was just _her_ calling to him, I could keep him away, but his soul twin cries out for him just as loudly. And that damnable bird is helping to bring him here."

"What are you planning to do to Tasuki?" he demanded, refusing to let himself be sidetracked. He cared about Tamahome, but Tasuki was the Celestial Warrior who meant the most to him. It was Tasuki who had survived with him and kept him from succumbing to despair. And it was Tasuki who still carried soul wounds because of Hikou, who had once been Chichiri's best friend.

"Don't worry, little monk. What I have planned will be a slow process. You won't make it in time to keep things from starting, but you might be able to save him. It doesn't really matter, either way. The bandit is just a pawn in my game, to be used to hurt _her_, and to keep you all distracted. I want you to eventually find me again, but not too soon."

_There's still time. If I leave this barn, I can use my magic and get to him in time,_ he thought, whirling back to face the entrance. The door was gone, endless shadow in its place. Whispered, echoing laughter. Overlapping. Seductive. Insane.

She was behind him, her chin resting on his shoulder as her pale tongue feathered along his jaw line. "Time runs differently in the shadows, monk. You're already too late. Night has fallen, and your little bandit is doomed to lose his mind and then his soul."

Whispered, echoing laughter. Overlapping. Seductive. Insane. Gloating and triumphant.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer:** Fushigi Yuugi and the associated characters and settings do not belong to me. The plot and any original characters that may appear, however, do.

**Author's Note:** I recently noticed that this site was randomly dropping italicized bits of writing, so I went back and fixed chapters two and three. All thoughts, dreams, and flashes of memory should now be properly italicized.

I'm basing the limitations of Tasuki's speed on an insect called a tiger beetle. They run so fast that they go temporarily blind, only getting their sight back when they stop moving. It makes logical sense, and it explains why he never used his speed any of the times he was involved in a chase.

…

At the same time that his fellow Celestial Warrior was preparing to enter the barn, Tasuki carefully led his horse down Mt. Reikaku in the deepening twilight of dusk. There were several trails along the mountain, and he was taking them down one of the easier ones known only to the bandits.

"Don't leave the mountain tonight."

Tasuki forced himself not to react to Reirei's words. She had been gone the entire day, but was now walking along beside the gelding.

"It's dangerous, Genrou," she insisted. "Set up camp here an' cross the foot o' the mountain in the mornin'. It'll be safer."

He slowed the gelding, frowning slightly as he considered things. It would be safer on the sacred mountain. Wolves and other things would still be able to attack, but they'd be protected from any real danger. _An' I'm so fuckin' tired right now. Haven't slept since right 'fore Miaka got here, an' that wasn't exactly restful._

He finally reached a decision and stopped the horse. There was a small stream about a quarter mile from their location, so they wouldn't be too far from water if they camped just off the trail.

"Miaka, we're gonna set up camp here," he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He turned in the saddle, freezing in shock when he got a good look at her. She was pale and very obviously in pain. He immediately helped her out of the saddle and was dismounted and supporting her weight before she had time to fall.

_Ya fuckin' idiot! Ya didn't see any horses in her world, so they prob'ly don't use 'em. Ya shouldn'ta made her ride s'damn much in one day when she hasn't had much practice in years._

He got his coat off and wrapped it around her as she shivered against him. "I need ya ta lean against th' horse for a bit. Can you do that?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile as she shifted to lean on the gelding. It only took him a few moments to get her bedroll from the pack mare and set it in a good area for camping. Then he scooped her into his arms and settled her down.

She stretched out on her side while Tasuki hurriedly got their camp set up. Her thighs, bottom, and pelvis had been alternating between numbness and pain as her body tried to get used to riding a horse again. Her first time riding hadn't been nearly as bad, but she'd been ill at the time, and her companions had made the journey as easy on her as they could.

_Once I'm feeling a bit better, I'll have to let Tasuki know that it's okay,_ she thought. She could tell that he was upset with himself for not realizing she would need more rest stops then they had taken. _It's not his fault I've matured since we last saw each other. He probably expected me to whine when I needed to rest._

Tasuki gathered some wood from the few scraggly trees that were nearby and used the tessen to start a nice fire to the left of Miaka. Then he set his own bedroll to her right. There was no way he'd be able to stay up all night to guard her, but she would likely be safe sleeping between him and the fire.

_We'll need more wood, though_, he thought, looking around. His best option was the stand of trees he could see in the distance, just beyond the protection of Mt. Reikaku. His next course of action decided, he gave Miaka a few pieces of jerked meat.

"I'm gonna get us some more wood, then cook up some real dinner. You rest here."

She nodded her assent, still lying on her side and looking miserable as she nibbled at her food.

_Damn it, I'm such an _idiot, he thought with a sigh as he turned away from her and started toward the trees. _We'll have ta take it real slow tomorrow so she can recover._

He shuddered slightly at the strange tingle that ran through his body as he passed beyond the protection of the sacred mountain. There was an odd feeling in the air that made him uneasy. _Maybe that hallucination was right about things._

As if his thoughts had called her forth, Reirei stood before him. "Turn back, Genrou, please. I don't know what's up, but somethin' ain't right. There's somethin' out here, waitin' for ya. I can feel it."

"We need more firewood," he said, stopping, though not because of Reirei's words. He squinted, calculating the distance between himself and the stand of trees. There were many who considered him not too bright, but that perception had more to do with a tendency to blurt whatever crossed his mind than an actual lack of intelligence. His gift of speed from Suzaku required him to be able to calculate distances and the exact time it would take to safely traverse them.

He took a deep breath and ran, his vision blurring and then vanishing as his speed rendered him temporarily blind. That was the major weakness of his ability and the reason it had been utterly useless the two times it could have made a real difference. He'd been forced to use normal speed when chasing Amiboshi after the failed summoning ceremony, and again when Ashitare had stolen the Shinzaho.

He kept up a constant count of the passing seconds, coming to a stop after one hundred and thirty-two. He was right in front of the trees, just as he had calculated. He walked into the trees, gathering wood as the last traces of sunlight faded from the sky.

…

It waited in the shadows, watching the mountain with its hated barrier against demon kind. At first, it had seemed like they would stay just out of its reach until morning, when its powers were weakest, but then the foolish male crossed the barrier, just as the demon's mistress had said he would. It chided itself for not having faith in its mistress's abilities as a seer.

It could smell several different flavors of delicious guilt within the bandit along with the even more delectable whiff of deeply buried self-hatred. This human would be both plaything and feast. It gathered its power as the last vestiges of sunlight faded from the sky, preparing to form a bond with its prey.

…

Tasuki carefully set down his pile of sticks and reached back to draw the tessen, intending to create just enough fire to use the metal fan as a torch so he could see. Before he could even touch the tessen, he fell to his knees, screaming in agony. Something tore brutally through his mind and soul, filling him with its filth as it learned all it could of him.

Finally, it was gone, leaving him panting for breath and feeling sick and violated. He heard dark, mocking laughter and looked up to see Reirei standing over him, her normally brown eyes now the putrid blackish green of rotting flesh.

He heard a gasp off to the right and turned his head, blinking in confusion at the sight of another Reirei, this one with the correct eye color.

"G-get away from him," she shouted, taking a step toward them despite her evident fear. The other Reirei languidly waved her hand, laughing as the girl who had spoken vanished with a scream.

Tasuki stared at where she had been, utterly shaken. _She's just a hallucination… ain't she? How… why did she scream like that?_

"Ya should be payin' attention ta me, Genrou," the remaining Reirei said calmly as she strode toward him and kicked him in the face, the force of it knocking him flat on his back. She straddled him before he could even attempt to get up. He tensed, ready to fight her off, but she just laughed.

"Why bother fightin'? Deep inside, ya _know_ ya deserve a lot worse'n this, for what ya've done," she sneered, his struggles lessoning at her words. "Your mother an' sisters have always been right about ya. You're a useless waste o' skin. Your speed wasn't enough ta save me, an' it wasn't good enough ta let ya stop Amiboshi or ta retrieve th' Shinzaho. Think o' all the sufferin' caused by that last little failure. It made Nuriko's death all for nothin'."

"Shut up," he whispered.

"An' lets not forget how ya failed Chiriko. He looked up ta ya. He thought ya were brave, an' ya let him down. Ya forced that poor little boy ta take his own life, 'cause ya were too much o' a coward ta do it for 'im. An' when Chichiri asked ya ta do the same, ya had ta be forced inta action while Tamahome figured out a way ta save him."

"Shut up!"

"An', o' course, there's always your attempted rape o' Miaka. Ya tried ta get her interested in ya, an' when that didn't work, ya tried ta do ta her what my brother tried ta do ta you," she said in disgust.

"_Shut up!"_

"Why?" she asked softly, caressing his cheek. "I'm only sayin' what you yerself think. But don't worry, Genrou. I still love ya, an' I'll make certain ya get some o' the punishment ya think ya deserve."

There was silence for a moment in that small patch of trees. Then the calm was shattered by tortured screams.

…

Miaka had fallen into a fitful, pain-filled sleep shortly after Tasuki left for more wood. She was awakened by the sound of someone rummaging through their supplies. Her hands had already started toward the ornamental hairpin tucked into her braid when she heard a familiar voice softly cursing.

She struggled up into a sitting position, starting to speak before she even got a good look at him. "Tasuki, what-" She gasped, her hands going to her mouth to stifle any other verbal reaction. He was crouched near his bedroll, looking more like a wild animal than a person.

Feral, amber eyes stared out of a face had been both bruised and rubbed with dirt, the latter looking like it had been done to irritate a myriad of tiny facial cuts. His beautiful, golden red hair had been coated in mud and what smelled like animal droppings, the fiery locks smothered by a patina of brown filth. His shirt was dirty as well and hung in tatters, revealing bruises and gashes.

She slowly got to her feet, her abused muscles screaming in protest. _He can take care of himself,_ a selfish part of her whined, wanting to just curl back up and rest. She ruthlessly pushed that thought away in disgust. She was Tasuki's priestess just as much as he was her warrior, and he needed her right now.

She slowly approached him, noticing that he was holding the bag with their cleaning supplies. "You carry that bag," she softly ordered, "and I'll help you to the stream."

He opened his mouth, about to protest, but she shook her head and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. She guided him toward the stream, biting her lip to keep from crying out when she saw his back. It had been sliced to ribbons, and then dirt and tiny bits of rock had been ground into the horrific wounds.

Tears filled her eyes, but she forced herself to remain silent. He always seemed to get hurt, either physically or emotionally, every time she was around him.

Finally, they got to the stream, and she took the bag from him, pulling out soap and a soft scrubbing brush. Then she led him into the stream and sat him down, the shallow water only coming up to the middle of his torso. She knelt beside him, ignoring the agony in her legs as the cold water made her sore muscles seize up. Her own pain was inconsequential at the moment.

She knew she should start cleaning out the wounds on his back first, but she started with his hair instead. Out of all her warriors, he had always had the prettiest hair, like someone had taken the lovely golden red light of dawn and had spun it into strands of silk. It was almost painful to see it so fouled.

Once she was finished, she moved on to his back, removing the remains of his shirt before she began to gently scrub. Once again, she had to fight back tears. She knew she was causing him even more pain, but he stayed mostly quiet, only a few soft noises escaping him.

She didn't like how quiet and subdued he was. It wasn't like him. Even when he'd been nearly killed by Tamahome because of her thoughtless selfishness, he'd still made comments about girls always getting him into trouble.

"What happened?" she asked softly as she finished working on his back. Instead of answering, he cupped his hands in the water and brought them up to wash his face. Then he abruptly stood up and grabbed her, lifting her into his arms. "What the he-!"

"Ya shouldn't be in cold water," he said, cutting her off and starting back toward camp. "It ain't gonna do ya any good with those sore muscles."

"Tasuki, put me down! You're hurt!"

"I'm better off'n you'll be if we don't getcha outta those wet clothes an' warmed up."

He was trying to get her to think of other things. It wasn't going to work. "What happened, Tasuki?" she asked again. "Please tell me."

He was silent for a moment, then finally answered. "Nothin'. I fell in the fuckin' trees an' got myself hurt. Guess yer clumsiness is contagious." He tried to grin, but it turned into a grimace of pain. "Who'da thought that a bunch o' damn trees could do worse ta me'n Nuriko tossin' me inta a wall?"

Now that his face was free of dirt, it was easier to make out all of the bruises. There was a large one surrounding his left eye, and one in the shape of a hand on his right cheek. That and the terrible wounds on his back made it clear that he was lying to her.

She opened her mouth to demand the truth, then closed it. His odd behavior indicated he hadn't been the victim of a normal attack. Something very bad had happened, and if he didn't want to talk about it, she had no right to force him.

"You're right," she said instead. "The cold water made my legs hurt even more."

He got her to the camp and helped her out of her boots and pants. Her shirt and vest were still dry, fortunately. While she warmed herself at the fire, he opened another one of their bags and studied two small, covered pots, one painted with a green glaze and the other with blue. The green one contained something that would help Miaka, and the blue one would help his wounds heal and keep them from getting infected.

He left the blue pot where it was and took the green one over to Miaka. "Rub this inta your thighs an' rear. It'll relax th' muscles an' getcha feelin' better."

He carefully sat down on his bedroll, facing away from her as she applied the liniment. After a few moments, he heard strange sounds coming from her direction and turned to face her, frowning slightly in concern. She had finished using the liniment and was now huddled on her bedroll, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs as she held his coat tight, like it was the only thing that could comfort her.

He crawled over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Miaka?"

"I-I'm sorry, Tasuki," she sniffled. "I know you don't like it when I cry, but I can't help it. I miss Taka and Hikari and everyone else from my world, and I hurt, and now you're hurt too! You always get hurt because of me, and I hate it!"

He turned her around with a soft growl and held her close. "It's my own damn fault that I got hurt, an' it don't matter what I do or don' like. Cry if ya need ta," he said, gently stroking her hair, her tears warm against the bare skin of his chest. He softly kissed the top of her head. "I'll always be here for ya ta cry on."


End file.
